Just in: Buhari gives condition for signing Electoral Act Amendment Bill

President Muhammadu Buhari said on Wednesday that he will sign the 2021 Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law once the members of the National Assembly removed the provision mandating all political parties to use direct primary to elect candidates for elections.

The President had refused to sign the Electoral Act Amendment bill over the inclusion of direct primary as the only mode of electing candidates for elections

The President had in a letter informing the National Assembly of his rejection of the Bill complained that the provision was against the constitutions of the parties that indicate that primaries should be conducted either directly or indirectly.

The President also said direct primary will involve high cost, lead to marginalisation of small parties, susceptible to manipulation among other measures.

But while speaking on an interview programme on Channels television on Wednesday evening, the President said he will sign the Amendment Bill into law once the provision making the use of mandatory for election of candidates is removed.

The President said the National Assembly must include provisions for use of direct, indirect and consensus mode of selection of the candidates in the Bill for him to sign it into law.

“I will sign. All I want is that there should be options, you cannot dictate to the political parties and say you are practicing democracy,” Buhari told his interviewers